April 21, 2022 • 17 mins
On this episode of Women Rule Web3, Kim Azzarelli speaks with Monica Rizzolli. She's from Brazil, but her digital art has won a worldwide following. Her nature-inspired generative collection, Fragments of an Infinite Field, sold out in an hour. Now her latest NFT is part of The Seneca Women Equality Collection in partnership with Nifty Gateway, in which six amazing women artists represent their vision of equality. Learn more at senecawomen.com or follow on social media @senecawomen
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Hi. This is Malayan Vervier and this is Kim Azzarelli.
We are co authors of the book Fast Forward, How
Women Can Achieve Power and Purpose, And you're listening to
Seneca's conversations on power and Purpose. Hey. Everyone, this is
Kim Azzarelli and I am so excited to be hosting
this special edition Women Rule Web three. Now. The world
(00:29):
of Web three is moving so fast, from the metaverse
to defy to NFTs. On this show, we'll break it
down for you through interviews with incredible leaders, experts, and artists.
Today we're speaking with Monica Rizzoli. In twenty and twenty one,
she released two series of NFTs Tropical Garden and The
Generative Fragments of an Infinite Field through art blocks. She's
(00:54):
exhibited in the US, Brazil, Germany, China and Spain. Monica
one of the six amazing artists that we're featuring in
the Seneca Women A Quality Collection, a special NFT collection
with nifty Gateway. I spoke to Monica about her work.
Here's what she had to say. Monica, it's so great
to have you on the show. Thanks so much for
(01:14):
joining us. Hi, thank you, Keene. I'm so glad to
be here, but we are so excited to be partnering
with you on the Seneca Women. A quality collection, and
I just want to say right out of the gate,
we absolutely love your work, so thank you for what
you've already put into the world. Tell us a little
bit about your personal and professional background. So I came
(01:36):
from a family of type pographers. So I started to draw,
holl and play with types of very early in my life,
and I decided to go to the University of Visual
Arts in zam Paolo, and after that it started to
study at KASSU consostually with Professor I'm as a spare
(02:01):
and I believed that was the time when I started
to work professionally with visual awards. So that's extremely interesting
that you come from a background of topographers. When did
you get into painting. I think I was farteen or
fifteen years old. It was really early because the graph
(02:26):
shop shop of my grand parents, everybody worked there and
there was a few of my uncles that made the
drawings in the paintings to the newspaper or books that
they were publishing or things like that. So to painting
(02:47):
was something really natural to me because of this environment
in my shidhood. But actually it was a little bit
funny because all my because I was a female, I
wasn't all no one's thought that I could have this
(03:08):
profession in my family when I was young, but I
was wise there. Oh you really surprised them. Yes, well,
that's I think somewhat common unfortunately in a lot of
our lives that people underestimate what girls can do. So
when did you start realizing yourself that you had this
(03:29):
calling with painting, and then when did you decide to
move into the digital world. Oh well, when I was
in Germany, I was so excited about this different environment
because at first I thought, oh, I'm going to move
and nothing is going to be really different. But everything
(03:50):
was different the house, they opened the doors, the windows,
and I was like, my god, I never thought that, So,
you know, those little things could be so different to me.
And I wanted to draw something that could make this
relationship between between me and the environment and how we
(04:13):
reacted when we have a different perception of the environment
and about things that we thought we knew it. Then
I started to research animation and it's covered processing. And
when I saw processing, I thought, oh, that's perfect because
(04:34):
I can have an environment that acts or something that
represents a person that reacts in different environments. And this
idea to have interaction and hundomness and you know, complex
behavior inside the drawing just blew my mind. So that
(04:57):
was the start. Guess that it's amazing, And I tell you,
it just reminded me when I the first time I
went to Europe. I also had that feeling that everything
is different, even though you wouldn't necessarily think it was,
but it was in the details. And I remember, this
is maybe a little funny, but I remember being in
this bathroom in Paris and I was young. I was,
you know, maybe in my late teens or you know,
(05:19):
around that or early twenties. I went into this bathroom
in Paris and I literally could not figure out how
to flush the toilet because where they put the where
they put the toy, it was like on the wall.
It was like a piece of art. And I was
like so camouflaged into the whole environment of the bathroom,
and I was like, this is unbelievable. So I totally
(05:39):
understand the point of the details and how it can
totally transform or like you said, even the water or
how things taste, or the way things feel. I just
when you're in a different culture, it just feels different.
We'll be back after this break. So that's really interesting
(06:01):
about getting into digital and randomized and as you said,
kind of the detail of what's possible and your work
really reflects that. Your work has such just so much
complexity in it, and it's really it draws you in
and it keeps you there. How has this whole NFT
movement changed the way you think about your work and
how has it impacted your life? Well, well, where to start?
(06:27):
It's not to be to answer those questions because it's well,
I think the first thing is when you are working
with genetitive art, there was no there was no a
good way to show it or to you know, make
it available. And I think the NFT in the obviously
(06:52):
art blogs platform and they solved a problem that was
how to show this type of work, and in does matter.
I think any f T changed everything because when you
have the right way to show this, you can make
(07:19):
people see how important this can be, you know. So
I think that was the first thing. But of course
after this, even that, I made a few projects abroad
in Los Angeles in Germany staining, but I wasn't a
(07:43):
knowing arts and the ant in the ny f T space.
That doesn't matter. If people like your work, if they
think that what you're doing is great, it's great. And uh,
it's amazing to think that nobody knows how I am
(08:06):
who I am? How do I look like? They don't
care if I am you know, a mayor or not.
Of course, of course I think that we should have
much more girls in this space. But in the final
of the day, you know, the NFT changed all the game.
(08:32):
Yet you know, we still see that there are not
as many women, or at least as many women being
recognized in the NFT space. How did you transition? Because
I know a lot of women want to go into
web three or even want to go into NFTs, but
they feel there's a barrier because there is this narrative
out there that you know, at tech is a guy's thing,
(08:53):
and I think a lot of women feel it's hard
to jump in. How did you transition? And what can
we say to these women? Well, at first, I'm not afraid, uh,
and I don't care. When I started to programming, I
was alone. I learned by myself, and I studied for
(09:18):
like four years by myself. Then I went back to
Brazil and I made a few friends and we started
to meet each other in some Paulo and will you
build a community in Brazil around the creative programming? It's well,
(09:44):
there is a few women, it's just like me and
two or three more, and you know, sometimes can be intimidating,
but we need to do what we need to do.
And sometimes it's hard, yes it is. Sometimes there are
there are less opportunities, of course, but you need to
(10:10):
stink by yourself. You need to go and do what
you know you you can do, and that's all we have,
you know, So that's what I do. I think, I
think having that community around you to give you some
energy when you have a little bit of low energy,
(10:33):
at least for myself. But to your point, we have
to kind of stay committed to our goals. But I
think having a community of women and men who are
supportive is really important and who are discovering together, because
I think this world as that we live in is
so full of change and everything is new all the time,
and so to your point, to be afraid of new
(10:53):
probably isn't an option right now. Yeah, And I think
just thinking now, we need to communicate. We want to communicate.
We want to find people that share similarities, and sometimes
that doesn't share some a looted with us. But the
(11:13):
communication is very important. If you have no one to
talk about it or should developed together or to share things,
well where is the point of doing something? So it's
really really important. Should beauty community, and I think the
community is the best thing we can have in our lives. Well,
(11:38):
that's why we are. We're super excited that you're part
of our community and that we're doing this collection together.
I mean, the point of the collection was to show
these incredible women artists, to get women supporting the work,
to get women involved in kind of web three and
getting comfortable, and also you know, hopefully to envision equality
(12:04):
through the work. So how did you think about this piece?
The goal of the goal of the project was, well,
the brief was to ask, you know, how do you
envision equality? How did you think about the piece um
that you've done for the collection? So at first I
thought that I should portrayed a female or something related
(12:26):
to that. So in the end I decided that I
wasn't going to do that because the equality stands in
my work itself. I am being unarts of female arts
from Brazil. That's a read enough to talk about equality.
(12:53):
I mean, I don't need to painting a woman talk
about it. So I decided to focus into the best
I could inside my line of work. And I hope
that people that people can see that women and men,
(13:16):
we are both capable of doing amazing things when we want.
So I'm really glad to be in this project and
to be with those amazing girls, amazing arts, and to
share its possibility to talk about in fit and women
(13:40):
we should talk about it. I always see those lists
like the top ten these are that, and it's always
men men, men and women and two humans, and I think, well,
it's not because the work is better or not what's
(14:02):
going on here? So that's why I'm super hectic here.
I think you're so right. I mean, it's it's interesting
because there's always this feeling that there are no women
in NFTs, and we know that that's not true, and
yet we do know that there's a barrier. There is
a barrier to women being in this space. But I
(14:23):
think it seems like the way perhaps art is promoted,
or the way collectors perhaps spend their money. I think
to your point, there's something going on here and we
need to get to the root of it, and I
think I hope that this collection will be the first
where we can bring the Seneca women community to bear
(14:44):
on the art and to show the world and bring
new people to collecting, but then also kind of have this,
you know, this this curated collection to show six really
amazing women from around the world, which is also really exciting.
I think you mentioned earlier that you know, if you
were in Spain or Brazil or Germany, things were very local,
(15:05):
and I think in the past, in most professions you
kind of had to know somebody or you know, somehow
get to the right network. But with the blockchain, you know,
it's there is this possibility of the barriers coming down
and things becoming global instantly. So if we can kind
of come together with our communities and promote women's art,
(15:27):
I think I think it'll be a big important contribution
because to your point, being a woman artist and how
you see the world and letting the world see how
you see the world, that is a quality and that's
what we're hoping for. I only can thank you a
lot for disopportunity. Well, I thank you, I really I'm
super inspired by your work. We love what you do.
(15:50):
Of course, you are one of the top NFT artists
in the world, and it's obvious why anybody who sees
your work will understand that. So thank you for what
you're doing. And I hope that together we're going to
bring a whole new bunch of women into the NFT space,
and I hope we can work together for years to come.
I hope so too. It was so wonderful to talk
(16:13):
to Monica, and her work is truly inspiring. Go to
Seneca Women dot com to see her work and the
other artists in the Seneca Women a Quality collection, and
join us tomorrow for another Women Rule Web three conversation.
Have a great day. You're listening to Seneca Women Conversations
(16:34):
on power and Purpose, brought to you by the Seneca
Women podcast Network and iHeartRadio with support from founding partner
for P and G. If you'd like to join the
Seneca Women Network, go to Seneca Women dot com. There
you'll get access to exclusive events and workshops, plus updates
on new podcasts and other opportunities to get involved. Fie
Hi. This is Malayan Vervier and this is Kim Azzarelli.
We are co authors of the book Fast Forward, How
Women Can Achieve Power and Purpose, And you're listening to
Seneca's conversations on power and Purpose. Hey. Everyone, this is
Kim Azzarelli and I am so excited to be hosting
this special edition Women Rule Web three. Now. The world
(00:29):
of Web three is moving so fast, from the metaverse
to defy to NFTs. On this show, we'll break it
down for you through interviews with incredible leaders, experts, and artists.
Today we're speaking with Monica Rizzoli. In twenty and twenty one,
she released two series of NFTs Tropical Garden and The
Generative Fragments of an Infinite Field through art blocks. She's
(00:54):
exhibited in the US, Brazil, Germany, China and Spain. Monica
one of the six amazing artists that we're featuring in
the Seneca Women A Quality Collection, a special NFT collection
with nifty Gateway. I spoke to Monica about her work.
Here's what she had to say. Monica, it's so great
to have you on the show. Thanks so much for
(01:14):
joining us. Hi, thank you, Keene. I'm so glad to
be here, but we are so excited to be partnering
with you on the Seneca Women. A quality collection, and
I just want to say right out of the gate,
we absolutely love your work, so thank you for what
you've already put into the world. Tell us a little
bit about your personal and professional background. So I came
(01:36):
from a family of type pographers. So I started to draw,
holl and play with types of very early in my life,
and I decided to go to the University of Visual
Arts in zam Paolo, and after that it started to
study at KASSU consostually with Professor I'm as a spare
(02:01):
and I believed that was the time when I started
to work professionally with visual awards. So that's extremely interesting
that you come from a background of topographers. When did
you get into painting. I think I was farteen or
fifteen years old. It was really early because the graph
(02:26):
shop shop of my grand parents, everybody worked there and
there was a few of my uncles that made the
drawings in the paintings to the newspaper or books that
they were publishing or things like that. So to painting
(02:47):
was something really natural to me because of this environment
in my shidhood. But actually it was a little bit
funny because all my because I was a female, I
wasn't all no one's thought that I could have this
(03:08):
profession in my family when I was young, but I
was wise there. Oh you really surprised them. Yes, well,
that's I think somewhat common unfortunately in a lot of
our lives that people underestimate what girls can do. So
when did you start realizing yourself that you had this
(03:29):
calling with painting, and then when did you decide to
move into the digital world. Oh well, when I was
in Germany, I was so excited about this different environment
because at first I thought, oh, I'm going to move
and nothing is going to be really different. But everything
(03:50):
was different the house, they opened the doors, the windows,
and I was like, my god, I never thought that, So,
you know, those little things could be so different to me.
And I wanted to draw something that could make this
relationship between between me and the environment and how we
(04:13):
reacted when we have a different perception of the environment
and about things that we thought we knew it. Then
I started to research animation and it's covered processing. And
when I saw processing, I thought, oh, that's perfect because
(04:34):
I can have an environment that acts or something that
represents a person that reacts in different environments. And this
idea to have interaction and hundomness and you know, complex
behavior inside the drawing just blew my mind. So that
(04:57):
was the start. Guess that it's amazing, And I tell you,
it just reminded me when I the first time I
went to Europe. I also had that feeling that everything
is different, even though you wouldn't necessarily think it was,
but it was in the details. And I remember, this
is maybe a little funny, but I remember being in
this bathroom in Paris and I was young. I was,
you know, maybe in my late teens or you know,
(05:19):
around that or early twenties. I went into this bathroom
in Paris and I literally could not figure out how
to flush the toilet because where they put the where
they put the toy, it was like on the wall.
It was like a piece of art. And I was
like so camouflaged into the whole environment of the bathroom,
and I was like, this is unbelievable. So I totally
(05:39):
understand the point of the details and how it can
totally transform or like you said, even the water or
how things taste, or the way things feel. I just
when you're in a different culture, it just feels different.
We'll be back after this break. So that's really interesting
(06:01):
about getting into digital and randomized and as you said,
kind of the detail of what's possible and your work
really reflects that. Your work has such just so much
complexity in it, and it's really it draws you in
and it keeps you there. How has this whole NFT
movement changed the way you think about your work and
how has it impacted your life? Well, well, where to start?
(06:27):
It's not to be to answer those questions because it's well,
I think the first thing is when you are working
with genetitive art, there was no there was no a
good way to show it or to you know, make
it available. And I think the NFT in the obviously
(06:52):
art blogs platform and they solved a problem that was
how to show this type of work, and in does matter.
I think any f T changed everything because when you
have the right way to show this, you can make
(07:19):
people see how important this can be, you know. So
I think that was the first thing. But of course
after this, even that, I made a few projects abroad
in Los Angeles in Germany staining, but I wasn't a
(07:43):
knowing arts and the ant in the ny f T space.
That doesn't matter. If people like your work, if they
think that what you're doing is great, it's great. And uh,
it's amazing to think that nobody knows how I am
(08:06):
who I am? How do I look like? They don't
care if I am you know, a mayor or not.
Of course, of course I think that we should have
much more girls in this space. But in the final
of the day, you know, the NFT changed all the game.
(08:32):
Yet you know, we still see that there are not
as many women, or at least as many women being
recognized in the NFT space. How did you transition? Because
I know a lot of women want to go into
web three or even want to go into NFTs, but
they feel there's a barrier because there is this narrative
out there that you know, at tech is a guy's thing,
(08:53):
and I think a lot of women feel it's hard
to jump in. How did you transition? And what can
we say to these women? Well, at first, I'm not afraid, uh,
and I don't care. When I started to programming, I
was alone. I learned by myself, and I studied for
(09:18):
like four years by myself. Then I went back to
Brazil and I made a few friends and we started
to meet each other in some Paulo and will you
build a community in Brazil around the creative programming? It's well,
(09:44):
there is a few women, it's just like me and
two or three more, and you know, sometimes can be intimidating,
but we need to do what we need to do.
And sometimes it's hard, yes it is. Sometimes there are
there are less opportunities, of course, but you need to
(10:10):
stink by yourself. You need to go and do what
you know you you can do, and that's all we have,
you know, So that's what I do. I think, I
think having that community around you to give you some
energy when you have a little bit of low energy,
(10:33):
at least for myself. But to your point, we have
to kind of stay committed to our goals. But I
think having a community of women and men who are
supportive is really important and who are discovering together, because
I think this world as that we live in is
so full of change and everything is new all the time,
and so to your point, to be afraid of new
(10:53):
probably isn't an option right now. Yeah, And I think
just thinking now, we need to communicate. We want to communicate.
We want to find people that share similarities, and sometimes
that doesn't share some a looted with us. But the
(11:13):
communication is very important. If you have no one to
talk about it or should developed together or to share things,
well where is the point of doing something? So it's
really really important. Should beauty community, and I think the
community is the best thing we can have in our lives. Well,
(11:38):
that's why we are. We're super excited that you're part
of our community and that we're doing this collection together.
I mean, the point of the collection was to show
these incredible women artists, to get women supporting the work,
to get women involved in kind of web three and
getting comfortable, and also you know, hopefully to envision equality
(12:04):
through the work. So how did you think about this piece?
The goal of the goal of the project was, well,
the brief was to ask, you know, how do you
envision equality? How did you think about the piece um
that you've done for the collection? So at first I
thought that I should portrayed a female or something related
(12:26):
to that. So in the end I decided that I
wasn't going to do that because the equality stands in
my work itself. I am being unarts of female arts
from Brazil. That's a read enough to talk about equality.
(12:53):
I mean, I don't need to painting a woman talk
about it. So I decided to focus into the best
I could inside my line of work. And I hope
that people that people can see that women and men,
(13:16):
we are both capable of doing amazing things when we want.
So I'm really glad to be in this project and
to be with those amazing girls, amazing arts, and to
share its possibility to talk about in fit and women
(13:40):
we should talk about it. I always see those lists
like the top ten these are that, and it's always
men men, men and women and two humans, and I think, well,
it's not because the work is better or not what's
(14:02):
going on here? So that's why I'm super hectic here.
I think you're so right. I mean, it's it's interesting
because there's always this feeling that there are no women
in NFTs, and we know that that's not true, and
yet we do know that there's a barrier. There is
a barrier to women being in this space. But I
(14:23):
think it seems like the way perhaps art is promoted,
or the way collectors perhaps spend their money. I think
to your point, there's something going on here and we
need to get to the root of it, and I
think I hope that this collection will be the first
where we can bring the Seneca women community to bear
(14:44):
on the art and to show the world and bring
new people to collecting, but then also kind of have this,
you know, this this curated collection to show six really
amazing women from around the world, which is also really exciting.
I think you mentioned earlier that you know, if you
were in Spain or Brazil or Germany, things were very local,
(15:05):
and I think in the past, in most professions you
kind of had to know somebody or you know, somehow
get to the right network. But with the blockchain, you know,
it's there is this possibility of the barriers coming down
and things becoming global instantly. So if we can kind
of come together with our communities and promote women's art,
(15:27):
I think I think it'll be a big important contribution
because to your point, being a woman artist and how
you see the world and letting the world see how
you see the world, that is a quality and that's
what we're hoping for. I only can thank you a
lot for disopportunity. Well, I thank you, I really I'm
super inspired by your work. We love what you do.
(15:50):
Of course, you are one of the top NFT artists
in the world, and it's obvious why anybody who sees
your work will understand that. So thank you for what
you're doing. And I hope that together we're going to
bring a whole new bunch of women into the NFT space,
and I hope we can work together for years to come.
I hope so too. It was so wonderful to talk
(16:13):
to Monica, and her work is truly inspiring. Go to
Seneca Women dot com to see her work and the
other artists in the Seneca Women a Quality collection, and
join us tomorrow for another Women Rule Web three conversation.
Have a great day. You're listening to Seneca Women Conversations
(16:34):
on power and Purpose, brought to you by the Seneca
Women podcast Network and iHeartRadio with support from founding partner
for P and G. If you'd like to join the
Seneca Women Network, go to Seneca Women dot com. There
you'll get access to exclusive events and workshops, plus updates
on new podcasts and other opportunities to get involved. Fie
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